Jason Amodio, Lying to a Federal Grand Jury, South Carolina 2023

Former South Congaree Chief of Police Sentenced

Columbia, South Carolina - May 31, 2023

In a shocking turn of events, Jason Amodio, the former Chief of Police in South Congaree, South Carolina, was sentenced to eight months of home confinement and four years of probation for Lying to a Federal Grand Jury. The sentence was handed down by Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson Jr. in federal court in Columbia.

The investigation into Amodio's actions stems from a joint federal and state probe into illegal gambling, extortion under color of law, mail and wire fraud, and related public corruption in Lexington County.

According to evidence presented in court, Amodio appeared before a federal grand jury and lied about the purpose of a particular check payable to him. The check, which was an improper payment from an attorney in Lexington, was meant to compensate Amodio for his role in convincing a family to hire the attorney to file a civil lawsuit after a car wreck left one member of the family dead and one injured.

United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated, 'We must ensure that the public has confidence that officials have integrity and are truthful. Mr. Amodio transported himself from the Chief of Police to a felon because he betrayed this basic tenant.'

In addition to his sentence, Amodio has agreed to plead guilty in state court to a charge of misconduct in office. The case is part of a joint investigation by the FBI, SLED, the South Carolina Attorney General's Office, and the United States Attorney's Office into public corruption.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jay N. Richardson and Jim May, along with Assistant Deputy Attorney Generals Creighton Waters and Brian Petrano, prosecuted the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/former-south-congaree-chief-police-sentenced